Lord Blunkett

Under the Equality Act 2010, schools must not discriminate against a pupil or member of staff in a number of respects because of a characteristic protected by the Act. As employers, schools are under the same duties to make reasonable adjustments in relation to disability for their employees or potential employees as they are for their pupils. State funded schools are also subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty.

The department has published guidance on the Equality Act 2010 for schools, which includes advice on how they can meet their duties under the Act. We expect schools to adhere to their statutory requirements as employers and do not monitor this at a school level on a routine basis. The guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/315587/Equality_Act_Advice_Final.pdf.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission provides more detailed advice on workplace adjustment and has powers to enforce equality legislation. Additionally, the Equality Advisory and Support Service, is an independent service aimed at individuals who need information, advice and support on discrimination and human rights issues.

Through the adult education budget (AEB), we fully fund or co-fund skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. This includes fully funded first full level 2 and/or level 3 for learners aged 19 to 23.

Learners in receipt of low wage (£17,374.50 annual gross salary or less) who would previously have been co-funded, are eligible for full funding following the earlier low wage trial that operated in the 2018/19 and the 2019/20 academic years. This directly supports social mobility by enabling those that have been motivated to move out of unemployment and are low paid or skilled, to further progress.

We specifically recognise the importance of English, mathematics and digital skills, both in work and everyday life. That is why we are continuing to support participation in these areas to meet employers’ needs and support people to progress in employment or further study.

We provide full funding for learners who need English and mathematics skills to undertake a range of courses in GCSEs, Functional Skills and other relevant qualifications from entry level to level 2. We also fully or co-fund adults to take English for Speakers of Other Languages as part of our wider effort to improve adult literacy in England.

Adults with no or low digital skills are fully funded to undertake new Essential Digital Skills Qualifications at entry level and level 1, based on new national standards for essential digital skills, which equip learners with the digital skills needed for life, work and further study.

We also support training for adults in community settings through the AEB. Prioritised for disadvantaged learners, community learning can provide a 'stepping stone' for those adults who are not ready for formal accredited learning, or who would benefit from learning in a more informal way.

The department is reviewing post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below, to ensure that every qualification approved for public funding has a distinct purpose, is high quality and supports progression to positive outcomes. We recognise that level 2 and below study serves students with a diverse range of needs, and that some young people and adults studying at these levels may require additional support to help realise their ambitions.

One of the first steps to realise our ambitions for level 2 and below study is a government call for evidence, which launched on 12 November 2020. It gives the education sector, industry, and others with an interest in study at these levels the opportunity to share their views on how the level 2 and below system can best work in the context of our proposed reforms to level 3 qualifications. The level 2 and below call for evidence closed on 14 February. We will set out further proposals later this year. The call for evidence is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/post-16-study-at-level-2-and-below-call-for-evidence.

As we address the challenges presented by COVID-19, it is vital that we support adults, including those working in sectors directly affected by COVID-19, to attain the skills that will be needed in the economy of the future.

Starting this year, the government is investing £2.5 billion in the National Skills Fund. Investment in skills through the National Skills Fund is vital as it ensures that adults have the opportunity to retrain at different points throughout their lives and can progress into higher wage employment.

From 1 April 2021, the government is supporting any adult who does not have A levels or equivalent qualifications, to access almost 400 fully funded level 3 courses, with Free Courses for Jobs.

Complementing this support for adults, we have introduced Skills Bootcamps which offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer.

We have already introduced Skills Bootcamps in 6 areas (West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Lancashire, Liverpool City Region, Leeds City Region, Heart of South West, and Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire) and we are investing a further £43 million from the National Skills Fund to expand them across England.

Funding that is clawed back from grant fund providers will be reinvested in departmental priorities, including to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on providers and learners, enabling us to allocate resources effectively across the department and live within our Parliamentary control totals.

On 19 June, the government announced a £1 billion COVID-19 catch up package, including a £650 million catch up premium to help schools support all pupils and the £350 million National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged students. Headteachers can decide how best to use their schools’ premium allocation to tackle the impact of lost teaching time on their pupils, but are encouraged to spend it on evidence-driven approaches including small group or one-to-one tuition, support over the summer, or additional support for great teaching. To help schools make the best use of this funding, the Education Endowment Foundation has published a support guide for schools with evidence-based approaches to catch up for all students, available here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/covid-19-support-guide-for-schools/#nav-covid-19-support-guide-for-schools1 and a further school planning guide: 2020 to 2021, available here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/covid-19-resources/guide-to-supporting-schools-planning/.

On 20 July, the government published guidance setting out further information on the package, including details of the £650 million catch up premium. The funding will be available for all state-funded mainstream and special schools, and alternative provision. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-catch-up-premium.

All pupils have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, so schools’ allocations from the catch-up premium will be calculated on a per pupil basis. This will provide each mainstream school with a total of £80 for each pupil and special, alternative provision and hospital schools with £240 for each place, across the 2020/21 academic year. We have applied additional weighting to specialist settings, recognising the significantly higher per pupil costs they face.

The funding is to support catch up across the academic year and will therefore be provided in 3 tranches. We will provide schools with an initial part payment in autumn 2020, based on the latest available data. This will ensure schools do not need to delay in setting up programmes. We will then distribute a second grant payment in early 2021, based on actual pupil and place data for the 2020 to 2021 academic year, and a final payment will be made in the summer term 2021.

In addition to the catch-up premium, we will spend up to £350 million on a National Tutoring Programme, to provide targeted support to disadvantage and vulnerable pupils. The programme, which has 2 strands will commence from November 2020. Through the Tuition Partners strand, schools will be eligible to access heavily subsidised tuition from an approved list of tuition partners for their pupils. Through our Academic Mentors strand, schools in the most disadvantaged areas can apply for support to employ in-house Academic Mentor to provide small group and 1:1 tuition to their pupils. Further information can be found here: https://nationaltutoring.org.uk/faqs.

As part of our response to the COVID-19 outbreak we made temporary changes to the law relating to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This was to strike the right balance between:

• the needs of children and young people with SEND to be protected and receive the right support in a timely way; and
• managing the demands on local authorities, health bodies and education settings to respond to the outbreak.

As part of the plans for children and young people returning to full-time education in September, we have announced that (unless the evidence changes) the modification to the duties on local authorities and health commissioning bodies to secure or arrange the provision in education, health and care (EHC) plans will cease at the end of July.

We have been closely monitoring the impact of the changes we made to secondary legislation that allow greater flexibility to local authorities and their partners over the timescales for various EHC needs assessment and plan processes. As things stand, the Regulations in question expire on 25 September 2020. We have committed to keeping the changes to the law in place for no longer than is necessary. We expect to make a decision next month as to how long the changes to these timescales should remain in force.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. Online applications are not subject to delays and successful applicants will receive their driving licence within a few days.

However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application for a driving licence. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day which must be dealt with in person. The DVLA has been working with a reduced number of operational staff on site to allow for social distancing, in line with Welsh Government requirements. This, as well as ongoing industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), has led to delays. There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example, if medical investigations are needed.

Currently, driving licence applications made on paper are likely to take six to ten weeks to process. More information on turnaround times is available on the DVLA Covid-19 update page on GOV.UK.

The DVLA has reconfigured its accommodation to safely maximise the number of staff on site and is working hard to process applications as quickly as possible. The DVLA has accelerated the development of additional online services to reduce the number of paper applications and supported their take up through a publicity campaign. Further digital service enhancements are underway.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence. Online applications are not subject to delays and successful applicants will receive their driving licence within a few days.

However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application for a driving licence. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day which must be dealt with in person. The DVLA has been working with a reduced number of operational staff on site to allow for social distancing, in line with Welsh Government requirements. This, as well as ongoing industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), has led to delays. There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example, if medical investigations are needed.

Currently, driving licence applications made on paper are likely to take six to ten weeks to process. More information on turnaround times is available on the DVLA Covid-19 update page on GOV.UK.

The DVLA has reconfigured its accommodation to safely maximise the number of staff on site and is working hard to process applications as quickly as possible. The DVLA has accelerated the development of additional online services to reduce the number of paper applications and supported their take up through a publicity campaign. Further digital service enhancements are underway.

It is a matter for each country to decide on appropriate health measures and some countries require different tests in line with their requirements. As international travel re-opens, where safe to do so, it is important for travellers to check the relevant travel advice for their destination country.

As set out in the recommendations of the Global Travel Taskforce, we are engaging bilaterally with international partners to explore how we can open international travel safely, including the potential piloting of digital and non-digital COVID-19 certification.

The Government recognise the important role that OH professionals play in supporting people with health conditions and their employers. In the Health is Everyone’s Business consultation we asked for views on how to increase access to occupational health services that can support people with disabilities and long term health conditions. We are considering the next steps in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and anticipate that a response will be available shortly.

Access to Work offers substantial practical support to disabled people and people with heath conditions, which include people affected by Long COVID. The scheme has rolled out a number of easements to ensure that those who are eligible for support can receive it.

As research into the long-term health symptoms and impacts of Covid-19 is ongoing, we will continue to monitor and consider the Government’s support provisions and approach as evidence emerges.

We plan to publish the response to the consultation ‘Health is everyone’s business: proposals to reduce ill health-related job loss’ later this year. The consultation set out proposals to encourage all employers to take positive action to support employees who are managing health conditions in work, and to manage sickness absence more effectively.

The Carr-Hill funding formula adjusts the global sum payment to general practitioner (GP) contractors. The formula weights a practice’s patient list against a number of factors which reflect differences in the age and sex composition of the practice demographic, additional pressures generated by differential rates of patient turnover, morbidity, and the impact of geographical location. The Carr-Hill funding formula does not reflect changes in demand unless they are a result of a change in patient demographic or unavoidable practice costs, and so does not directly address COVID-19 related pressures or areas of low vaccine take-up.

To ensure that general practices are able to meet demand generated by the pandemic, we have made available an additional ringfenced £270 million from November 2020 until September 2021, to ensure GPs and their teams are able to continue to support all patients.

The impact of COVID-19 on people with disabilities and learning difficulties will be one of the focuses for the new Social Sector COVID-19 Support Taskforce.

The Social Care Sector COVID-19 Support Taskforce will ensure the delivery of two packages of support that the Government has put in place for the care sector and will be supported by several advisory groups including one on support for people with learning disabilities and autism.

We are developing a new test and trace programme which will bring together an app, expanded web and phone-based contact tracing, and swab testing for those with potential COVID-19 symptoms.

If someone installs the National Health Service COVID-19 app, it will start logging the distance between their phone and other phones nearby that also have the app installed. It measures this distance using a form of Bluetooth that is less energy hungry than normal Bluetooth. This log of proximity information will be stored securely on the person’s phone. If a person becomes unwell with symptoms of COVID-19, they can report this to the NHS via the app which will mean that other app users who have come into significant contact with that person over the previous few days can be alerted and provided with advice if appropriate.

The first phase of the app rollout is taking place on the Isle of Wight. This will ensure the app is functioning as expected and will help us to see how it works best alongside the web and phone-based systems and to ensure that it dovetails with the testing programme.

Ministers are accountable to Parliament for the Department’s response to COVID-19, including the test and trace programme.

Directors of Public Health and their teams will be key to the local delivery of the test and trace programme.

Occupational health services are vitally important in keeping people healthy and safe in the workplace. The command paper, Improving Lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability, committed to setting out a clear strategy for the future occupational health market reform. Following the Health is everyone’s business consultation published in July 2019, an upcoming response will outline future occupational health strategy.

The health and wellbeing of National Health Service staff is very important. As part of the NHS People Plan, we plan to set out a comprehensive package of support that all NHS staff can expect to receive from their employer, including rapid access to occupational health services. Publication of the final NHS People Plan has been deferred to allow the NHS to provide maximum operational effort to COVID-19 response. However, we have commissioned the NHS to urgently put in place a package of support for NHS staff during COVID-19 response.

The government is committed to ensuring that people are able to use, and maximise their use of, products and services made available by the financial services industry. Government policy on financial capability and education focuses on ensuring that people can access the guidance they need and have the confidence and skills to successfully engage with their finances. That is why the government established the Money and Pension Service (MaPS) in January 2019, merging the three former organisations providing free-to-use financial guidance (the Money Advice Service, The Pensions Advisory Service, and Pension Wise) to simplify the existing public financial guidance landscape and offer more holistic support to consumers.

MaPS’s 2018 Adult Financial Capability Survey identified and measured the key components of financial capability through a large, nationally representative sample. This data can be broken down across a range of sociodemographic factors including age, gender and region. The full dataset is publicly available and will be updated later this year.

In 2020, MaPS published the UK Strategy for Financial Wellbeing, which sets out five national goals to improve the UK’s financial wellbeing by 2030. These include 2 million more children and young people getting a meaningful financial education, and 5 million more people understanding enough to plan for, and in, later life. The Strategy also includes three cross-cutting lenses focusing on gender, mental health, and wellbeing in the workplace. MaPS are working closely with a range of stakeholders from different sectors to deliver the Strategy, including to develop delivery plans for each of the four UK nations.

The government has no plans to review the provision of financial education. In 2014, for the first time, financial literacy was made statutory within the National Curriculum in England, as part of the curriculum for citizenship education for 11 to 16 year olds. At the same time, the government also introduced a rigorous mathematics curriculum, which provides pupils with the knowledge and skills to make important financial decisions. The Department for Education trusts schools to use their professional judgement and understanding of their pupils to develop the right teaching approach for their school.

Estimates of the number of children in receipt of Disability Living Allowance and/or personal independence payments who received additional Child Trust Fund payments would only be available at a disproportionate cost.

HMRC has created a simple online tool to help young people find out where their account is held. If someone does not know where the CTF is held, they can use this service at any time. This will provide the details of the account. For those who do not have the identifying information required to access the tool, HMRC will provide alternative, non-digital routes to finding a CTF provider upon request. HMRC and The Share Foundation are also working together to help children in need of further support. Further information can be found - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/teenagers-to-get-access-to-child-trust-funds-for-first-time.

Data is not available for those that have accessed CTFs with or without a court order. However, On 1 December the Government made an announcement regarding the clarification of guidance on court fees and CTFs.

Wirecard AG, the German payments provider, entered administration last week. It has a UK subsidiary, Wirecard Card Solution Ltd (Wirecard UK), which is FCA regulated. This subsidiary is not in administration.

Last week, the FCA temporarily applied restrictions to Wirecard UK’s business while the firm ensured it could safeguard customers’ money. The government worked closely with the FCA to understand and mitigate the impact of this measure – for example, the DWP worked to ensure those who received benefits into accounts using Wirecard UK had an alternate means of receiving payments.

The firm has now been able to demonstrate that it has met the necessary conditions, and the restrictions were lifted on Tuesday 30 June. Customers can access their money as usual.

The Defence Intelligence workforce at 31 March 2021 was circa 4,100 people and the budget for the same period was £349 million. We report annually to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament on the size of the Defence Intelligence workforce and budget. The Committee normally publishes this information in its Annual Reports.

The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. By law, prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the independent Parole Board concludes that the risk they present to the public is capable of being safely managed in the community under probation supervision.

As of 31 March 2021, there were 1,784 prisoners serving the IPP sentence in custody who have never been released.

As of the same date, there were 632 prisoners serving the IPP sentence in custody who had been recalled more than once, whilst there were 2243 offenders serving the IPP sentence in the community who have been released and not been recalled.

As of 8 July, 18 applications have been received from offenders requesting termination of their IPP licence. From September this year, officials will refer automatically to the Parole Board the case of every offender serving the IPP sentence who has become eligible to apply for termination of his/her IPP licence.

Notes for all figures:

1. These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit Database and Prison-NOMIS held by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with any large-scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing.

The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. By law, prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the independent Parole Board concludes that the risk they present to the public is capable of being safely managed in the community under probation supervision.

As of 31 March 2021, there were 1,784 prisoners serving the IPP sentence in custody who have never been released.

As of the same date, there were 632 prisoners serving the IPP sentence in custody who had been recalled more than once, whilst there were 2243 offenders serving the IPP sentence in the community who have been released and not been recalled.

As of 8 July, 18 applications have been received from offenders requesting termination of their IPP licence. From September this year, officials will refer automatically to the Parole Board the case of every offender serving the IPP sentence who has become eligible to apply for termination of his/her IPP licence.

Notes for all figures:

1. These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit Database and Prison-NOMIS held by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with any large-scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing.

The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. By law, prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the independent Parole Board concludes that the risk they present to the public is capable of being safely managed in the community under probation supervision.

As of 31 March 2021, there were 1,784 prisoners serving the IPP sentence in custody who have never been released.

As of the same date, there were 632 prisoners serving the IPP sentence in custody who had been recalled more than once, whilst there were 2243 offenders serving the IPP sentence in the community who have been released and not been recalled.

As of 8 July, 18 applications have been received from offenders requesting termination of their IPP licence. From September this year, officials will refer automatically to the Parole Board the case of every offender serving the IPP sentence who has become eligible to apply for termination of his/her IPP licence.

Notes for all figures:

1. These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit Database and Prison-NOMIS held by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with any large-scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing.

The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. By law, prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the independent Parole Board concludes that the risk they present to the public is capable of being safely managed in the community under probation supervision.

As of 31 March 2021, there were 1,784 prisoners serving the IPP sentence in custody who have never been released.

As of the same date, there were 632 prisoners serving the IPP sentence in custody who had been recalled more than once, whilst there were 2243 offenders serving the IPP sentence in the community who have been released and not been recalled.

As of 8 July, 18 applications have been received from offenders requesting termination of their IPP licence. From September this year, officials will refer automatically to the Parole Board the case of every offender serving the IPP sentence who has become eligible to apply for termination of his/her IPP licence.

Notes for all figures:

1. These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit Database and Prison-NOMIS held by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with any large-scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing.

As set out in the background briefing notes to the Queen’s Speech on 11 May, the government intends to legislate to raise the mandatory retirement age of judicial office holders to 75 through the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Bill, to be introduced shortly.